Amongst Garnet
by JayCue
Summary: The Hero has fought: and failed. Hyrule is under King Ganon's control. The Hero's job is not done however. As Blue eyes will rise against the evil king. But Ganon not will give up power easily, and has sent monsters in search of the specific eye-color of Courage. He never thought though, that he would be finding what he's looking for… under the scarlet tresses of his own people.


Your Lord is in need of entertainment. He has sent for some girls and you—members of a Dancer's guild— to perform for him before the court. You're now in the castle and you're anxious. This is the first time you dance for an audience.

You feel cold despite it being warm. Your heart is races against your chest. The castle is beautiful, built in Hylian manner, but this does not comfort you. You feel trapped; even if you find a bit of familiarity in it.

The rest of the girls are chatting, unaware of your uneasiness. They all look very excited.

They talk about your Lord and King —Ganon— (you shudder at his name) how powerful he is, and how frightening. There is also a murmur somewhere, warning how ugly the man is. You grow nervous.

A gong is sound and a guard announces the troupe. The girls assemble hurriedly, the murmurs quiet down. You take your position—the back of the line— and you feel your stomach drop like a stone. A soft hand places itself on your shoulder.

"Easy, girl. Have courage!" Head-dancer, Email, says to you. Her voice is hushed and gentle, like a desert's afternoon breeze.

"You show them lot… the true spirit of a _Gerudo_!" She beams. You nod, and new determination sets upon your face. The doors open and you enter.

Still, the heaviness of the castle—the foreboding sensation that something will happen—has yet to leave you.

[…]

The doors open and a group of twelve Gerudo enters the room, all dressed equally in golden satin— long-skirts and embellished vests—, with high garnet-colored ponytails held up with gold wire. They all come in a perfectly ordered line, spacing themselves along the way to the sides, to reveal a short girl in the back. This one differed in more than one way than the others. For starters, she wore her hair down: a thin golden diadem adorning her crown.

As one, the girls made a pose: the starting stance.

Perched high on his throne, the king—the man once, much too long ago, named Ganondorf—watched, un-amused. To his side sat the princess of his conquered land, Zelda. The girls begin to dance, slowly; their hands curving around metallic-grey sashes with the grace of a bending swan's neck—as if weaving, spellbinding their audience in trance. Well, all except for Ganon, who remained displeased, bored stiff.

And then, in a quick flicker of light, the girls' metallic sashes became glimmering swords. The room exploded in applause.

Their moves turned aggressive, swift, like a snake's, without breaking their swan-like grace. They spun and coiled, brandishing their long-swords, now giving an amber glow in the twilight sun. It is all appealing to the Hylian court, who admires these bronze-skinned beauties as they enact battlefield slashes with the two-handed swords in their dance, but all the more for their princess, who had her attention set solely to the one short Gerudo with loosened, wild hair. More importantly, it was from Ganon whom she had also gotten interest.

The girl continued with her dancing, seemly unaware of the two royals scrutinizing her closely. She had pretty much concealed herself in her own little world.

She tilted her blade at an angle, a bit backward, placing it across her body, and twirled. She spun like a true fairy. The king frowned. Not an angry one but one he usually adopted when he was lost within his mind, thinking. The princess at his left was panic-stricken

(she'd recognized that move anywhere!)

but kept any show of this to herself. Any display and Ganon might notice what she, since the beginning, had suspected. She had an inkling of her captor's thoughts—she was, still, Wisdom, after all—and if his pensive gaze upon the girl was any indication... Zelda felt a sudden need for air.

The girl's techniques might have passed as Gerudo, but that one spin had enough to raise red flags in the king's head: it resembled too much of _**him**_, of _**his**_ fighting style—the _kaitengiri_.

Or as they both knew it to be: the _Spin Attack_.

She prayed the goddesses, "Please, do not let him take notice."

But her prayers went unheard. For Ganon stood up and unsheathed his sword.

His eyes locked on that one dancer.

[…]

The world is spinning. Your back is turned. You feel the temperature drop. It's chilling to the bone.

You stop, just in time to catch the other's blade. The first you see is his eyes.

They're a deep blood-red.

The imposing man before you is not a man, but a beast. An immense boar, with thick yellow tusks protruding from his wide snout, and coarse bluish and red fur; he is your king—the Dragmire.

He really _is_ as ugly as they say.

"Dance with me… my pet." (You shudder/snarl as he purrs _pet_) His voice is a baritone, rough and commanding. It is more of a growl than human speech.

He untangles his sword from yours, and swings. You block it. It's pretty much all you have mind to do now.

His movements look familiar, you know where and when he is going to swing next. You recognize this pattern, and not only from your days of training around the Fortress.

Something tells you you've… danced… with this man before.

He doesn't hesitate, you're distracted. He strikes, for the sake of the dance, and your blades cross. Out of reflex, you push back. And that's when he realizes, the unusual shade of your irises: icy as the snow in Zora's Domain, bright as a summer's day.

"The color of Courage", he mumbles, disbelievingly— frightened even— like the unintelligent animal he is.

Suddenly, you and he are not dancing anymore.

[…]

**Amongst Garnet—Prologue,**

_Where Past and Future Collide_

_To Be Continued…_

* * *

**A/N**: Man, isn't it good to get this little bunny outta my system. It's been driving me nuts all week! Anyway, I hope you guys liked it—it's been a while since I last wrote something (school essays don't count Xp). I would be grateful if I get feedback for this story—and any other that might come in the future—anything is helpful to improve my storytelling for you guys!

Thank You~


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